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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. last — finally
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — to handle
  10. current — electric
  11. last — final
  12. spring — of water
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. spring — a coil
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. last — to go on
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. current — happening now
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. current — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. row — to paddle

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com